Air valve for steam heating systems



July 25, 1950 J. K, LUND 2,516,225

AIR VALVE FOR STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS Filed Sept. 29, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l Is l /9 2.27 2/5 I? Z 1:? L/XIMES 45. Law.

July 25, 1950 LUND 2,516,225

AI R VALVE FOR STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS Filed Sept. 29, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIII /czm mm 27E; 5

Patented July 25, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT (OFFICE.

AIR VALVE FOR STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS l JamesK. Lund, oak Park, Ill., assignor to The Chicago, 111., a corpora- Dole Valve Company tion of Illinois Application September 29, 1945,".Serial No. 619,386

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, with parts in elevation, through the air valve shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the removable top piece of the air valve;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure-3;

further a continuation-in-part of another of my Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view through the part having the movable air'openings and the graduations;

, Figure 6 is a plan viewof the part shown in Figure 5, with the relationship of another part indicated by dotted lines;

Figure 7 is a sectional view through the immovable. part having the cam-shaped opening which cooperates with the opening of the device shown in Figure 5;

sooner than those farthest away. It is very desirable to have the air driven from all of the radiators at substantially the same time, regardless of their distance from the source of steam supply.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an air valv by means of which the above result can be accomplished.

Another object is to provide an air valve that can be adjusted when it is installed, so that radiators farthest from the source of steam supply will have larger air escape openings than those nearest the source of supply, these air escape openings being of the proper size to cause all the radiators to be filled with steam at substantially the same time, it being understood that each radiator is equipped with one of the air valves forming a part of this invention.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an air valve with an air vent opening and an adjustable means for adjusting this air vent opening, with a graduated scale indicating the various positions of the adjusting means.

Another object of the instant invention resides in the provision of an air valve embodying rela- I tively movable air vent and vent varying members, one of which has an opening defined by an edge in the form of a geometric curve so that as the vent opening is varied through defined increments the discharge of air will follow an arithmetical progression and willbe increased Figure 8 is a plan view of the structure of Figure 7; p

Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve seat for the valve, on the float;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating the application of the invention to a steam heating system embodying a common source of steam connected to spaced radiators which may be of different sizes; and

Figure 1-1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the variance in the vent opening resulting from adjustments of the relatively movable parts seen in Figures 5 and 7, illustratingthat the opening in the element of Figure 5 follows a geometric curve to thereby causea venting of air in arith-. metical progression-through the respective graduations.

It will, of course, be understood that like numerals refer to like parts-throughout the several figures of the drawings. Y

Referring now to the drawings wherein I have shown .one form of air valve embodying. the invention, the construction illustrated has a casing I with a nipple 2 by means of which it is connected to a radiator. There is a drain pipe 3 which connects the interior ofthe casing I with the radiator. Within the casing there is a false bottom 4 which is fastened in position, and a float 5 that may rest upon this bottom. A valve 6 connected with the float -5 cooperates with the valve seat '1 around a discharge passageway 8 in a removable piece 9. It is, of course, evident that any other form of air valve of this type may be used in place of the parts just described.

The casing l is provided with a cross-Wall ill which has an opening to receive the part 9, there being a screw threaded connection betweenthe part 9 and the cross-wall Ill. There is a connecting passageway II which extends through the wall of the part 9 and which connects with the discharge passageway 8. Surrounding the part 9 is a cup-shaped member l2 that rests upon the cross-wall I0, Figure .2, and which is fastened in position in any desired manner. The member I2 has an eccentrically shaped or cam-shaped opening l3 extending through it. Preferably this opening is in the i'orm of a geometric curve. The passageway H connects the passageway 8 with the interior of the cup-shaped member [2 and with its cam-shaped opening l3. The opening l3 has a curved periphery 3G (Figures 6 and 8) that has a part 13b which is farthest from the center I 30, and curved periphery then approaching the center 130 until it reaches the point 13d, where it then departs from the center to form the part 131), following the curve clockwise therearound.

A movable air vent adjusting member l4 surrounds the member I2 and has an air vent opening 15 which cooperates with the cam-shaped opening [3 in the part I2 to adjust the size of the air discharge from the valve, as more fully hereinafter described. A top member l having a threaded stem i"! that extends through an opening l8 in the member [4 and into a threaded opening in the part 9, prevents the escape of air from the top of the passageway 8. This top member It is provided with one or more air vent openings l9 and a slot 20 for any suitable instrument for tightening and loosening the member IS.

The air vent adjusting member I4 is provided with a graduated scale 2| comprising a series of numbered graduations, as seen clearly in Figure 6. It is, of course, evident that there may be more graduations and that there may be intermediate graduations between those indicated in the drawings. There is preferably a pointer or indicating device 22 on the casing I (Figure 1) which indicates the graduation or number opposite it in any of the various positions of the air vent adjusting member H.

The use and operation of my invention is as follows:

When the air valves are in use, they are connected to the radiators in the system, one to a radiator, the radiators being at different distances from the source of steam supply. Under these conditions, when the system starts up, the air valves on the radiators at a distance from the source of supply are required to discharge more air before the radiators are filled with steam, because there is more air in the pipes leading to those radiators, than for the nearer radiators, and it also takes more time for the steam to reach the distant radiators than it does to reach the nearer ones. The air valves are adjusted, therefore, so that all the air will be discharged from all of the radiators at substantially the same time so that the radiators will all be filled with steam at substantially the same time. The air vent adjusting member and the member l2 having the camshaped opening I3 are indicated in Figure 6 in a position where the air vent opening is entirely closed by having opposite it a solid portion of the part l2. To adjust the air valves, the top memher It is loosened by slightly unscrewing it, and then the air vent adjusting member I, the member bearing the graduated scale 2!, is rotated to the desired position.

When it is rotated in the direction of the arrow seen in Figure 6 and it reaches the part Nb of the curved periphery of the cam-shaped opening 13, the vent opening is fully open. As the air vent adjusting member M is turned. further, the open area thereof decreases, so as to decrease the amount of air vented from the air valves in any given time. The air valves are adjusted so that a smaller amount of air is vented from the air valves on the radiators nearest the ource of steam supply than on the radiators farthest away.

To better illustrate the application of this invention to a heating system, I have illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 10 a steam heating system which, with the exception of my novel way of venting the same, may be of any conventional construction. In this figure, the reference characters A, B and C designate conventional steam radiators which may be located in different spaced radiation areas in a given building to be heated and are connected by the usual piping D to a common source of steam which may be a boiler illustrated diagrammatically and indicated by reference character E.

Each of the radiators A, B and C is equipped with the vent above described and which in any instance is designated generally by the reference character V.

It will be perceived that by reason of the differences in the distances separating the respective radiators A, B and C from the common source of steam heat, adjustments must be made in each of the valves V so as to insure an overall consistent heating effectiveness of the steam. I have found, as noted before, that the desired result'can be best obtained by adjusting the venting of the air on a common arithmetical progression basis in all of the valves V of the several radiators consistent with the location of the radiators, as well as the size of the area being heated, the radiator A, for example, may have its vent V adjusted so that the designated valve opening reads 3 on the graduated scale 2 l Similarly, the radiators B and C may have their vents V adjusted so that they, for example, have readings 6 and 7 on their graduated scales. In each case of the different vent openings, differences involve equal increments of change insofar as air discharge is concerned so that they are thus adjusted to discharge air on a common arithmetical progression basis. In this manner the differences in the radiating areas and their remoteness from the steam source are compensated for so that the steam is better utilized to provide uniform effectiveness of the steam in heating the several radiation areas or radiators. Accordingiy, the control of the distribution of the steam is not made on a guess or haphazard basis but is made on a common predetermined accurate basis.

This operation of my novel valve means may still better be understood with reference to the diagrammatic showing of Figure 11. From this figure it will be understood that the opening [3 in the part i2 is predetermined in character so that each adjustment of the valve parts results in an exactly equal change in the amount of air discharged through the opening l5 as does each other adjustment. The curvate opening l3, therefore, does not vary the vent opening l5 by an equal amount of area at each increment of the graduated scale but does vary the opening in such a manner that an equal increase or decrease in the amount of air will be discharged from the opening for each increment of the scale depending on the direction of movement of the member l4. Thus, if the setting 2 permits two cubic feet of air to pass through the opening l'5, the setting 3 will permit four cubic feet to pass, and the setting 4 will permit six cubic feet to pass, and so on, each variation increasing or decreasing the air discharged by the same amount. Thus, While the curve l3 itself, as stated above, is a geometrical curve, the discharge of air is on the basis of arithmetical progression. As a consequence, a steam fitter in using thi valve does not have to guess as to the amount of air discharged. He knows that he can obtain a given discharge of air for each adjustment and that the increments of air discharged are the same for each adjustment.

My novel method of and system for heating with steam mentioned herein is disclosed, described and claimed in my copending application entitled Method of Heating with Steam, filed October 20, 1947, Serial No. 779,004, which is a division of this application.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An air valve for radiators comprising a casing, a connecting device at one end thereof for discharging water therefrom and for connecting it to a radiator, air venting means at the other end thereof for venting air from the casing comprising a closure for the casing, a removable piece extending through the closur and attached thereto and provided with a passageway, a stationary cup-shaped member fitting over the end of said removable piece having a stationary cam-shaped opening extending therethrough, a movable controlling member surrounding the periphery of said cup-shaped member in spaced relation and having a part which covers the cupshaped member and which is provided with an air vent opening at one side of the center thereof which when the controlling member is moved cooperates with the stationary cam-shaped opening to vary the effective air venting opening, a top member above said controlling member, a fastening device on said top member passing through said controlling member and said stationary cup-shaped member and having a threaded connection with the passageway in said removable piece, said removable piece having a port providing communication between the passageway of said removable piece and said stationary cup-shaped member.

2. An air valve for radiators comprising a casing, a connecting device at one end thereof for discharging water therefrom and for connecting the casing witha radiator, a closure at the other end of said casing having an air discharge opening therethrough, a cup-shaped member connected with said closure and having a single stationary cam-shaped venting opening having a portion at all times in vertical alignment with said air venting opening in said closure, an air vent adjusting member having a single movable air venting opening therethrough and having a part which surrounds the periphery of said cupshaped member, said air venting opening cooperating with the stationar cam-shaped air venting opening to control air flow therethrough, and means for moving said adjusting member to increase or decrease the effective air venting opening for discharging air from the casing, a top member extending over the adjusting member to form a cover therefor, said top member having means for fastening the adjusting member in position.

3. An air valve for radiators comprising a casing, a connecting device at one end thereof for discharging water therefrom and for connecting it to a radiator, air venting means at the other end thereof for venting air from the casing comprising a closure for the casing having an opening therethrough, a stationary cup-shaped member fitting over said opening and having a top portion with an eccentrically shaped opening extending therethrough, said opening having a periphery which extends entirely around the central axis of said cup-shaped member, a movable controlling member surrounding the periphery of said cup-shaped member, and having a part which covers the cup-shaped member and which is provided with an air vent opening at one side of the center thereof which, when the controlling member is moved, cooperates with the eccentrically shaped opening to vary the efiective air venting opening, a cap member above said controlling member, and a fastening device connected with said cap member for fastening the cap member and the controlling member in position.

4. In an air valve device including a casing having an inlet and an air vent, adjustable means on the casing cooperable with the vent including a member having a cam-like edge for varying the discharge of air through said vent, said edge comprising a eometrical curve calibrated so that successive changes in position of the member enable the amounts of volume change in the discharge of air through the vent to be equal and so that the opening and closing of the vent is varied to change the rate of .air volume discharge on an arithmetical basis.

5. In an air valve device including a casing having an inlet, relatively movable members in overlapping relationship, one of said members having a vent opening therein, and the other of said members having an opening defined by an edge in the form of a geometric curve for selectively varying the eifectiveness of said vent opening and clamping means to lock said members in a relative position of adjustment.

6. In an air valve device including a casing having an inlet, relatively movable members, one of said members having a vent opening therein, the other of said members having an opening defined by an edge in the form of a geometric curve to selectively vary, the effectiveness of said vent opening, a graduated scale associated with said members, said vent opening being varied to affect the amount of air discharged an equal amount for each graduation and means to lock said members in a relative position of adjustment against accidental variance.

JAMES K. LUND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 751,096 Nethery Feb. 2, 1904 1,751,591 McClosky Mar, 25, 1930 2,013,909 Browne Sept. 10, 1935 2,042,186 Petersen 1 May 26, 1936 2,117,182 Lewis May 10, 1938 2,190,197 Simpson Feb. 13, 1940 2,197,250 Davies Apr. 16, 1940 2,315,541 Osterkorn Apr. 6, 1943 2,338,495 Davies Jan. 4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 691,813 France July 21, 1930 

